When the Team Goes South, Don’t Blame the Boo-Birds

By Christopher Gabriel, CGabriel.com

When I go to sporting events, I don’t boo.  It doesn’t matter if my team is playing like a bunch of sheep wearing cleats and helmets, I just don’t boo.  I simply turn to my wife and berate the team . . . to her.  Thankfully, after 19 years she still indulges me.

Lately, though, I’ve noticed fans who boo are being lectured by an unusual source.  Sportswriters.  Since when do writers take up the cause for a struggling football team, or coach, they’re covering by counseling fans on their in-game behavior?

Fans paying their way into a stadium or arena have a right to express their displeasure over their team’s performance . . . within reason.  Profanity, trying to intimidate other fans, throwing things at players, those are all out of bounds.  But simply booing?  Nothing wrong with that. 

Apparently, some see it differently.

The Tennessee Volunteers football team has started 2008 at 1-3.  At many schools, this merits little more than an “oh well.”  In Knoxville, this is tantamount to the apocalypse.  And the whole situation is exacerbated by the fact Tennessee native son, former Vols player and current head coach Phillip Fulmer already is desired by many to be on the next riverboat floating down the Tennessee River, away from Neyland Stadium.  Far away.

Against UAB on September 13, the Vols won 35-3 in a game that wasn’t nearly as dominant as the score would indicate.  At times Vols fans, fed up with sluggish play against an inferior opponent (see UCLA loss), chose to manifest their displeasure with boos.

Then on September 20 the hated Florida Gators invaded Knoxville.  The Vols laid an egg as they were overwhelmed by the Gators, 30-6.  With last season’s 59-20 loss in Gainesville fresh in mind, many in the announced crowd of 106,138 began pouring out of Neyland at halftime.  But before leaving, they made their feelings quite clear to Vols players and coaches on the field.  The booing was significant, and it continued in the second half though it lacked the same passion since the game was well out of reach.

When it was over several players took issue with Vols fans, in varying degrees, over the booing.  Fulmer did as well, while adding he’d have booed some of the things he saw against the Gators, too.  All of that is par for the course.  Fans boo, players and coaches react to it. 

But since when do writers seemingly try and come to the rescue?

Dave Hooker, a fine columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel, suggested Vols fans booing may have a damaging impact on the future of the program.  Highly-touted QB recruit Josh Nunes from California, a verbal commitment to the Vols, reopened his recruiting with he and his family citing the booing during the UAB game as part of the reason.  Shortly thereafter he verbally committed to Stanford saying it was always his dream to play for the Cardinal.  He went on to add the decision was “based on the distance and difficulty getting there (Knoxville) from my home.”  

Hooker connected the dots and, while saying he completely understands fans’ frustrations, believes Vols fans should pause and think before vocally unloading on their team. 

I understand his point, but I respectfully disagree.

The bigger issue with Tennessee’s football program is the fact they have an anemic offense that lacks anything resembling innovation and creativity since the 1990’s and a defense that gives up too many yards, too many points, too many 3rd down conversions and makes too many of the same mistakes week after week, year after year.  Special teams play is the gift (to opponents) that keeps on giving.  If it got any worse . . . well, it can’t get any worse.

And then there’s the coaching staff.  In recent years they have appeared archaic, out-of-touch and well behind the learning curve compared to staffs from programs like Florida, LSU, USC, Oklahoma, Ohio State and a handful of others.

I cannot imagine the motivation to slap the collective wrists of a fan base because they are making a statement they have every right to make: Booing.  Vols fans are as passionate and loyal as they come and over the years it’s been the rare day you’ll hear anything resembling a boo being shouted in Neyland Stadium. 

But fans, and their wallets, have their limit. 

Sometimes, all fans want to see is progress.  A move in the direction that signals hope is in play and better days are on the horizon.  At Tennessee, those better days seem behind them, at least under the program’s present leadership.

If recruits start pulling their verbal commitments to Tennessee because of booing, then their desire to come to Knoxville wasn’t nearly as strong as they made it seem.  The other recruits currently in the fold, the ones that haven’t backed out of their verbal commitment, apparently haven’t been swayed by the temperature of the fans.

Give me a player that is as mentally tough as he is physically gifted.  The guy who is concerned with boos tells me the rabbit ears may not fit in his helmet.

There’s also the possibility high-profile players like Nunes and their families are becoming turned off by what they’re seeing unfold on the field at Neyland Stadium more than what they’re hearing cascade down from the stands.

No one will ever be able to accurately measure the effect fans booing has on a football program.  The idea it may adversely affect the short-term and long-range success of that program because a recruit, or several, back away is a specious argument.  It effectively does the end-around of where the blame really lies.

Trying to measure whether or not the leadership of that same college football program is ineffective – that’s another story.

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